SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER-ACCESSIBLE MEDIUM FOR DEPTH OF FIELD IMAGING FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL SENSING UTILIZING A SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR MICROSCOPE ARRANGEMENT

• US 20150369660A1
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York (Columbia University)
• Original Assignee: Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York (Columbia University)
• Inventors: YU, NANFANG
• Granted Patent: US 10,620,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0004 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0075 with means for altering, e.g. increasing, the depth of field or depth of focus
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/008 Surface plasmon devices diffractive gratings with a pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength G02B5/1809; surface plasmons in integrated optics G02B6/1226; optical analysis of materials by means of surface plasmons G01N21/553
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/015 based on semiconductor elements having potential barriers, e.g. having a PN or PIN junction G02F1/03 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/10 plasmon
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/11 involving infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/064 using horn or slot aerials slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005

Abstract

Exemplary embodiment can utilize the properties of tunable thin-film, material (e.g., graphene) to efficiently modulate the intensity, phase, and/or polarization of transmitted and/or reflected radiation, including mid-infrared (“mid-IR”) radiation. Exemplary embodiments include planar antennas comprising tunable thin-film material sections and metallic sections disposed in contact with the tunable thin-film material sections, each metallic section having a gap with at least one dimension related to a wavelength of the radiation, which in some embodiments may be less than the wavelength. The metallic layer may comprise rods arrange in one or more shapes, or one or more apertures of one or more shapes. Embodiments of the antenna may also comprise a substrate, which may be a semiconductor or conductor in various embodiments. Embodiments also include systems, computer-implemented methods, devices, and computer-readable media for effectuating desired modulation of incident radiation by, e.g., varying the doping level of the tunable thin-film material.

Claims

1. A planar antenna for radiation, comprising:

a layer comprising one or more sections of a tunable thin-film material; and

a metallic layer comprising one or more metallic sections, wherein each metallic section is disposed in contact with at least one of the one or more tunable thin-film sections and comprises at least one gap, wherein at least one dimension of the at least one gap is related to at least one wavelength of the radiation.

2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the tunable thin-film material comprises at least one of graphene, vanadium dioxide, boron nitride or molybdenum disulfide.

3. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the metallic layer comprises a plurality of rods arranged in a plurality of shapes, with nanoscale gaps in at least one dimension between adjacent shapes.

4. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the radiation comprises a mid-infrared (“

mid-IR”

) radiation.

5. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the metallic layer comprises one or more apertures having at least one dimension less than the at least one wavelength of the radiation.

6. The antenna of claim 1, wherein shapes of the one or more apertures comprises one or more of a rectangle, a cross, a bowtie, a “

T”

, an “

H”

, or a spiral.

7. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising a substrate comprising one of a semiconductor and a conductor.

8. The antenna of claim 7, wherein:

the substrate comprises one of gold (Au) and doped silicon (Si); and

the metallic layer comprises gold (Au).

9. The antenna of claim 7, wherein the spacing between the metallic layer and the substrate is less than the at least one wavelength of the radiation.

10. The antenna of claim 1, further comprising one or more electrical connections for tuning a resonance of the antenna, wherein each of the one or more electrical connections is attached to at least one of the one or more metallic sections or to at least one of the one or more tunable thin-film material sections.

11. A system for modulating radiation, comprising:

a planar antenna comprising one or more sections of a tunable thin-film material;

an adjustable voltage source coupled to the one or more sections of the tunable thin-film material; and

a control device coupled to the adjustable voltage source and configured to;

receive input concerning a desired modulation of at least one wavelength of the radiation by the antenna, wherein the radiation is at least one of transmitted or reflected radiation;

determine one or more parameters of the adjustable voltage source that effectuate the desired modulation by varying a doping level of the one or more sections of the tunable thin-film material; and

provide the determined one or more parameters to the adjustable voltage source.

12. The system of claim 11, the control device further comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the control device to receive the input, determine a setting, and send a control message.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the tunable thin-film material comprises at least one of graphene, vanadium dioxide, boron nitride, or molybdenum disulfide.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the desired modulation comprises at least one of an intensity, a phase, or a polarization modulation of at least one wavelength of a mid-infrared (“

mid-IR”

) radiation.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the antenna further comprises a metallic layer comprising one or more metallic sections;

each metallic section is disposed in contact with at least one of the one or more tunable thin-film material sections and comprises at least one gap, and

at least one dimension of the at least one gap is related to at least one wavelength of the radiation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the metallic layer comprises a plurality of rods arranged in a plurality of shapes, with nanoscale gaps in at least one dimension between adjacent shapes.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the metallic layer comprises one or more apertures having at least one dimension less than the at least one wavelength of the radiation.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein shapes of the one or more apertures comprises one or more of a rectangle, a cross, a bowtie, a “

T”

, or “

H”

, and a spiral.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the metallic layer comprises gold (Au).

20. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the computer-readable medium further comprises doping response information describing at least one of an intensity, a phase, or a polarization of one or more wavelengths of the radiation for each of a plurality of doping levels of the one or more sections of tunable thin-film material, and

the control device is configured to determine the one or more parameters by accessing the doping response information.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the adjustable voltage source is independently coupled to each of the one or more sections of the tunable thin-film material; and

the control device is configured to determine one or more parameters that will vary the doping level of at least one of the one or more sections of tunable thin-film material independently of the doping level of at least one other of the one or more sections of tunable thin-film material.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the control device is further configured to determine one or more parameters that vary the doping level of each of the one or more sections of the tunable thin-film material independently of the doping levels of all other of the one or more sections of tunable thin-film material.

23. The system device of claim 21, wherein each of the one or more parameters is related to a voltage to be applied between one of the sections of the tunable thin-film material and a substrate of the antenna.

24-42. -42. (canceled)